Rivals … or not?
by bunny chan
Summary: yay! another short story from me after my long dormant [is it long? it seemed a few weeks to me...] and yet again, it's LJ romance


**Rivals … or not?**

_bunny chan_

Lily Evans sat alone in one of the many compartments Hogwarts Express provided, reading a book. Her bright red hair is divided and tied neatly to the back in two braids and her blazing bright green eyes sat beneath her neat fringe, carefully surveying a page in the thick book. Her pale complexion glowed even brighter in the black Hogwarts school robes and a tawny owl sat beside her obediently, pecking her once or twice to show its affection to its mistress.

The compartment door slammed open and two boys ran in quickly, breathing hard for air as the taller of the two slammed it shut again. They sat opposite, gasping hard for air and clutching their chests tightly. Lily looked up at them, annoyed by the interruption.

'Boy, Snape almost had us there!' a boy with unruly hair gasped to his companion. A pair of gleaming brown eyes twinkled behind his glasses and he looked quite thin, though not very.

His companion said nothing, but breathed hard. He shared the same dark black hair as his friend and piercing dark eyes. When he finally subdued his normal breathing, he looked around.

'Hey, we have company,' he said to his friend, nudging him to Lily. Lily just looked on.

'Huh? Oh, yeah. And one with carrot hair along with lettuce eyes,' the first one said after a look at Lily. Lily sat up in amazement and glared at him sharply. How dare he, a stranger, called her carrot hair and lettuce eyes?

'Well, might as well introduce ourselves first. Sirius Black,' the second one said, holding out a hand. Lily took it and shot a glaring look at the first boy.

'Lily Evans,' Lily said curtly.

'James Potter. Nice to meet ya,' James said, sticking out a hand.

'Very nice, thank you,' Lily said coldly, taking it. She has manners and she planned to give James a second chance.

'What's with this carrot hair anyway? Not many has them,' James said, pulling a thin braid.

'Well, I'm one of the very few, Potter, along with lettuce eyes. By the way, the color isn't carrot, as you may call it,' Lily snapped, jerking her braid away from him.

'Hey, why so workout?' James said casually. 'You dyed this?'

'Unfortunately for you, I did not. It's natural, like your seaweed hair,' Lily snapped again.

'Whoa! Why so touchy?' Sirius said.

'Yeah, mom always calls this thing a seaweed,' James chuckled, pointing at his hair.

'That's really good, 'cause it tells me that I should feed it to my pet fish at home,' Lily said again.

'Why so touchy?' Sirius said again.

'Because he doesn't have much manners,' Lily said. With that, she gathered her things and stomped out of the compartment.

'What was it?' Sirius said.

'Who knows?' James shrugged.

**

The next day, Lily sat herself at the Gryffindor table, just as James and Sirius burst into the Great Hall with a fair haired boy. As soon as they rushed in, the door burst again as a greasy headed boy with a menacing face ran in.

'Potter!!! Put me back this instant!' the latter cried at the three.

'But Snape, you looked too good!' Sirius laughed as he sat himself opposite Lily. the fair headed boy took a place beside him and James sat next to Sirius after pulling a face at Snape.

'Hah! Should've known better than to try and curse Remus!' James said triumphantly.

The boy, who is called Remus, nodded. He turned and saw Lily staring daggers at James.

'Hello. What's your name? I'm Remus Lupin, first year,' Remus said.

'Hi Remus. Lily Evans. Ditto,' Lily said before biting into her porridge.

'Why're you staring daggers at James?' Remus asked.

'He has no manners, pulled my hair, called it carrots, call my eyes lettuce and…' Lily trailed off.

'Um, okay,' Remus said slowly.

'It's not! I mean, if I can choose to have a color of hair and eyes I liked, I'd liked it to be brown,' Lily said.

Remus tried to imagine Lily in sandy brown hair and dark brown eyes. Somehow, it didn't seem to suit her at all.

'I don't think that'll be a nice color.'

'Well, what I mean is dark brown hair,' Lily said helpfully.

'Hey Lily!' James said, turning from his conversation with Sirius.

'Hello James. I'll see you guys later,' Lily said, getting up from the table, her porridge unfinished.

'Got up on the wrong side of bed?' James called.

'No. Seeing you put me off,' Lily replied.

'You called her carrots?' Remus said.

'Her hair _is like those red carrots.'_

'Her eyes are lettuces?'

'Aren't they? Lettuces are green, right?'

**

Lily glared angrily at James. Professor McGonagall, head of Gryffindor house and Transfiguration teacher, had just announced the first year's positions and to Lily's utmost horror, James was top of the Gryffindor house _and form, followed soon by Sirius._

Right after the professor left, half the first years crowded over James and Sirius eagerly and Lily looked sourly at them. True, as a muggle-born witch, her standard isn't as high as most pure-blood ones, seeing that they had parents to confront to whenever they don't understand a thing, but she was determined to be one of the best. Her determination had brought her up to third, which is below Sirius' position amongst the whole form.

_This could never do, Lily said angrily to herself. __I will pass James Potter and be the best of the best. From now on, I will beat him._

James saw Lily leaving the common room.

'Hey Lily!'

'Yes?'

'I'm sorry for calling you carrots and lettuce. And congratulations for getting third. That was pretty good for a muggle-born.'

'You're insulting me, aren't you?'

'No, not at all. Hey, how about we be friends?'

'We will never be friends; not even when the world come to an end,' Lily flared, stomping off to the girls' dorm.

'What was it I say again?' James said, turning to Sirius who just came.

'Girls are hard to understand,' Sirius replied with a shrug.

**

Lily worked on harder and harder, stressing herself even more. Sapphire, a friend of Lily's, began noticing that she had dark rings under her eyes.

'Lily?' Sapphire started.

'Yes?'

'You're stressing too much. Maybe you should get some rest, Lily.'

'But-'

'We all know that you want to beat James, but killing yourself isn't a good way. Relax and liven up! There's a proverb which says "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy and-"'

'I know that well, Sapphire,' Lily laughed. 'Oh well, I guess I'm just getting on myself too hard. I know, I'll stop forcing myself on now.'

'Good! How about a picnic?' Sapphire said. 'I'll get Ruby, Mary-Jane and Pepper, kay?'

'Pepper?' Lily asked.

'That's Felicity's new nickname. She likes to eat pepper, so we called her Pepper!'

'How come I don't know that?'

'You're rushing to the library all the time, so how can we?'

'Oh, right. Okay, we'll go now, how about that?'

'Right!' and Sapphire ran off for the remaining three Gryffindor girls.

'Ooh! A picnic! Can I come?' Sirius said eagerly, popping up from behind.

'Oh sure,' Lily said. She was fine with either Sirius or Remus, but James still get on her nerves.

'I'll come too, okay?' Remus grinned.

'Whatever. So long as four-eyed monkey stays out of this,' Lily said.

'What?' the two chorused.

'Okay,' Sirius said slowly, hiding a grin.

'We'll be by the lake then,' Lily said, putting her books into her bag before running out of the library.

'I'll come,' James said from behind.

'But Lily says that-'

'I'm not Four-Eyed Monkey, am I?' James grinned.

'Nope! You're James Potter!' Sirius laughed loudly, and Madam Pince soon had them kicked out.

'So you're coming?' Remus said.

'Just as sure as the sky's blue,' James replied.

Back at the lake, the girls were all laying out the dishes and mat.

'Hey!' Remus said, running to them. Lily's face turned dark at once.

'I told you not to bring him!' Lily said to Sirius.

'Well, you said not to let Four-Eyed Monkey come. No one is name that,' Sirius said logically.

'Also, we didn't _bring him. He came in an __invitation,' Remus added. Lily just groaned._

'I'm out of here. See you,' Lily said, running back to the library.

'Mmm! What nice food!' James said, eating everything with relish. 'Better cook than carrots. I bet she can't even boil water!'

'Lily cooked this,' Mary-Janes said, pointing at all the food.

'We can't cook,' Ruby shook her head.

'Can't even hold a spatula,' Felicity added.

'I'm not allowed in the kitchens,' Sapphire said.

'So she can cook,' Remus said, nibbling on a fried chicken.

'You're wrong, James!' Sirius laughed.

'Whatever.'

**

In the end, Lily did beat James in the year end tests, but James won the battle of in Transfiguration, which Lily isn't quite skilled at. Her cushion turned into a fish, but her fish had cottons instead of it's usual organs, thus, minusing a couple of points.

This went on until their seventh year, where Lily managed to beat James by two points to all the year end tests, OWLs and NEWTs.

'Congratulations, Lily!' Sapphire said, hugging her friend so hard that she tumbled.

'Thanks Sapphire!' Lily managed to breathed out, for the other girls had jumped on her with happiness.

'How can I ever thank you?' Lily said.

'Let's see… I can't think of anything,' Sapphire said.

'Congratulations Lily,' James said, advancing to her.

'Hey Lily! You beat James!' Sirius said, bouncing over, knocking half the girls aside.

'Lucky you. I only managed to win him at DADA,' Remus muttered.

'You're missing half the time,' Lily said to Remus. 'Where were you anyway?'

'Um, I was, uh, visiting my folks. They were always sick,' Remus fidgeted.

'Oh, I'm so sorry.'

'Hey, are you still gonna forgive me for calling you carrots?' James said.

'Not even until my deathbed, James Potter,' Lily said, flashing her eyes at him.

'Fine then. Carrots and lettuces mashed up to potatoes,' James started singing.

'When carrots and lettuces turned to potatoes?' Ruby asked.

'See that? He's the proof to my theory!' Mary-Jane said.

'What theory?'

'Boys are all idiots and had no brains!'

'Simply wonderful! I'll keep that in mind.'

'Hey!' Sirius, Remus and James snapped.

'It's true anyway,' Lily smiled.

'So friends?' James tried again.

'Never in a million years.'

'A million years went already. So friends?'

'Never until my next reincarnation.'

'Your next reincarnation went already. So friends?'

'Never forever! Not even when the world comes to an end!'

'Hey Sirius! I saw a dragon burning a lily in Romania last year!'

'Really?' Sirius and Remus said.

'Yeah, so maybe our little flower here should be called Burnt? Or will Ashes do?'

'I think Burnt is nice,' Sirius said.

'Maybe Ashes will do with her,' Remus said thoughtfully.

'First carrots, then lettuces, and now I'm given ASHES???' Lily flared.

'Well, your hair's red – so carrots there – and then your eyes are green – lettuces go just fine! – and your name is a flower that got burnt – there's Ashes!' James said happily.

'Do you think I like my red hair? And my green eyes? And my name?' Lily demanded.

'I think you do.'

'Well if I'm allowed to choose, I'll most like to have raven black hair and violet eyes! And I'd choose Sabrina as a name, not any stupid flower!'

'Uh, you said you wanted brown,' Remus said, remembering the first time the two had met.

'I'd changed my mind completely. Black's more for me and Sabrina at least sounded so much better that any Lily!'

'I like your name!' Sapphire said to Lily. 'It's better than Sapphire and at least it matches you! Look at me! I'm barely even like my name!'

Sapphire is a short girl with strawberry blonde hair, tanned skin and blue eyes.

'I'd rather Sapphire than Lily!' Lily insisted.

'Let's just see how you'd look in your wanted color then,' James said, an evil grin creeping onto his face. With a wave of his wand, Lily's red hair turned into black and her eyes color shifted to a violet purple.

'How'd you like THAT?' James said smugly. He turned to see Lily and his mouth fell.

Lily changed, but her complexion was still the same. Black made her skin even more brighter and her violet eyes matched perfectly with the pale skin. Lily grinned at everyone who looked at her.

'What d'you reckon?' Lily said, twirling around.

'Lily, you're pretty enough in your usual colors, but this is even better!' Sapphire gasped.

'Well, I guess colors well chosen,' Remus said.

'I told you that I'd look better!' Lily said to James smugly.

'Lily, you're gorgeous!' Ruby squealed.

'With your long hair and all, you can easily beat the Miss World fast!' Felicity said happily.

'Maybe you wanna change your name?' Sirius suggested.

'She won't want to. This isn't permanent,' James said. True enough, after a good five minutes, the red hair and green eyes came back to her.

'I like this Lily more though,' Ruby said. 'More Lily-like and so much more like the flower lily!'

'Yeah. Your name goes well with your complexion,' Sapphire said. 'See, lily flowers are pretty and light, not dark.'

'I still hope that James'll make that permanent,' Lily sighed. 'That way, no more carrots or lettuces.'

'Hah! I'd never let you live that way!' James said.

'Whatever. I beat James! Hah! Smartest boy of all form! I beat him!'

'Well, I still am the smartest boy, and it'll stay that way!'

'You're smartest girl, Lily, and top student,' Mary-Jane said when she saw Lily burning.

'Right. Top student's better than everything.'

'That's the spirit, Lily!!' Felicity cheered.

Sirius pulled Lily away for a moment.

'Hey, why can't you forgive James?' Sirius said.

'You're calling me here for that?'

'Exactly. Why else?'

'I thought you want to ask me how I cursed Snape.'

'Later. So when are you forgiving James?'

'When he stops calling me carrots and lettuces and when he admit that I'm smarter than him.'

'Will it do if I say that all for him?'

'Never at all.'

'Oh. Fine then.'

Lily walked back to her friends and Sirius beckoned James over.

'What was that all about?' Mary-Jane asked.

'When am I ever forgiving four-eyes.'

'So when?'

'Until he admits that I'm smarter than him and he won't call me carrots or lettuces.'

'Lily-'

'No others. I'm not changing it either.'

'Hey Lily!' James called.

'What now?'

'Okay, you're _not a carrot or a lettuce and you're smarter than me. Friends now?'_

Lily gaped at him.

'You sick?'

'No, I'm very fine. So are we friends now?'

Lily felt stares at her and turned. Mary-Jane, Sapphire, Ruby and Felicity were looking hard at her, wondering if she's going to keep her promise. In one corner, she saw Sirius waiting impatiently for her to take James' outstretched hand. Remus was waiting patiently next ot James.

'Friends. And if one more word escaped that I'm a carrot and a lettuce…'

'Don't worry, it won't happen,' James said. 'I always keep my word.'

Sirius sighed a relief before bouncing over.

'Now, how did you curse Snape? As far as I'd known, he's defenses are really high these days,' Sirius said.

'First, I got a Slytherin – whatever her name is – to flirt with him. Once done, I attacked the girl first – of course, false alarm there – and then voila! A blue Snape with Jelly-Legs, leg-locker, body-bind and – you get the clue.'

Remus was hurriedly scribbling everything down in a piece of parchment.

'Very good strategy here,' Sirius said, grabbing the parchment from Remus and stuffed it into his pockets.

'Okay, now that you're my friend, how about you help us plan revenge on Snape?' James said.

'He bomb my cauldron,' Remus said gloomily. 

'You're on,' Lily said. 'They can help.' Lily pointed at her four friends.

'How?'

'Snape's a little stupid sometimes. They have his timetable.'

'What?'

'He always does stupid things at various times. His timetable was taken by them and we use it to attack him.'

'Oh… okay, gone with Snape and Marauders forever!' James said happily.

'Marauders?'

'Our group,' Sirius said.

'Weird name…'

'You won't want to know how it comes about,' Remus said, remembering their night raids under James' invisibility cloak.

'Been marauding huh?' Lily said.

'Loads of them! And Mrs Norris is the best part!' Sirius said. The boys giggled at their night before's expedition, where Mrs Norris was frightened till petrified when Remus' head slipped off the Invisibility Cloak.

'You are all stupid,' Lily muttered before drawing a plan on a parchment.

'We are? You're my friend, so you won't care, will you?' James said. Lily paused for a while before replying him.

'Yeah, whatever…'

**

Lily did a deep thinking that night in her dorm. She sat awake in her bed. Seven long years had went by before James had vowed to not called her carrots or lettuces. He even _admitted to her that she's better, a thing he wouldn't usually do._

So, was she his friend? Deciding that her four-poster bed isn't quite large enough for her to think in, she crept down to the Gryffindor common room, for there's a really large place and really good place for deep thinkings at night.

Slumping down tiredly onto a sofa, she let her head fall.

_Back to the question: am I James Potter's friend? Or still long rivals? Somehow, him being gone from my life is going to be a really depressing fact to me. _

_Why?_

_Perhaps the traces you left inside one's life couldn't be erased as easily as it had been printed on._

_So are we friends, or rivals?_

_Considering that James had apologised, maybe friends._

_Now friends or lovers?_

_WAIT!! Where'd that come from?_

_But still, it's a nice question to think. Friends or lovers? James was nice enough, sweet, and caring. Somehow, he seemed to be another part of me. What will happen if James left me forever?_

_I'd be furious._

_Furious and jealous._

_James was always one to argue, a person to talk to and a partner in any crime. Overall, he was smart, just like me. Lily, you like smart people to compete with. People to argue with. A person to chat with and with your number of crimes, you need an allie. James sort of answered to everything._

Lily nodded her head firmly. Just then, someone hit his fist to his palm.

'Got it!' he exclaimed eagerly.

'Got what?' Lily asked curiously.

'The answer!'

'What answer?'

'Who're you anyway to nose into my buisiness?'

'Well, you're issued a detention for offensing me and another for roaming up late at night!' Lily said.

'Same goes to you. You're given fifteen detentions, all for the exact same reason,' the voice laughed.

'Who're you to issue me a detention?' Lily asked, temper building up.

'Who're _you to issue __me a detention?' the voiced asked back._

'I'm Lily Evans, Head Girl and prefect of the year!' Lily retorted.

'I'm James Potter, Head Boy and prefect of the year, so quit lying!'

'I'm not lying!'

'Oh, Evans doesn't go around at night, does she? Now say your name and I might let you go with only ten detentions.'

'Unfortunately, this Evans does,' Lily said indignantly.

'Oh, you're Petunia? Worst luck, isn't it? You can't be a witch, so don't tell tales!'

'A ha ha. Show up!'

'You show up!'

Lily's temper gauge was full by now. She walked right over to behind the couch, wand in hand. She came face with face with James himself, who was grinning, as though enjoying everything.

'Oh, it's really Lily, isn't it?' James grinned.

'What are you doing up late?' Lily asked, ignoring his grin.

'Thinking. You?'

'Thinking.' Lily was feeling really uncomfortable. Here was James, standing right in front of her. Their faces were barely an inch apart and Lily's hands were sweating. She wasn't quite used to being near boys, since she was always with her friends.

'About?'

'Nothing in particular. What about you?'

'You.'

'What?'

'You. The truce. Somehow, I wondered why I even bothered to stick up to you.'

'Oh?' Lily couldn't think of any words. They just won't come.

'Yeah. If it's some other, I'd have her cursed by second year. I wonder why I stuck up to you and let you beat me in everything.'

'What? You purposely let me-'

'Yeah. That's why I'm thinking. Why did I bother apologizing to you this morning? Why did I wish that I could keep you permanent in your dark colors?'

'Hormones, what else?' Lily shrugged.

'And overall, why did I even bother to rival you. Why did I annoy you so?'

'Very good question to ponder…'

James ignored that.

'Just then, I got the answer.'

Lily fidgeted uncomfortably. They were dangerously near now. 'What?'

'Because I love you.'

'What!?' Lily said in disbelief. 'You _love me? You're mental!'_

'No, seriously, I do. I just got the answer after answering all five hundred of the questions that swam in my mind. I didn't bother till now. I answered each and every one of them sincerely and I came to the conclusion of my ever pouring questions. I love you, Lily Evans. I love you without even knowing it.'

Lily felt a lump up her throat. James' voice was strong and full of passion.

'W- well, I was thinking too. I was thinking about what would I do without you. How I wouldn't even ace everything. I had came here, unspirited about the magical world. I mean, I'm a muggle. I'm awfully back from you all, and I wasn't quite sure I'd pass everything.

'And then the train ride. You teased me. My red hair, my green eyes… they were the parts I hate about myself. And detest. Just like many redheads, I have a temper. I held revenge, promising myself to win you. I want to show that I'm not an ordinary muggle. I want to show that I'm worth it.

'Our truce this morning, indicating that I had won the battle, had left me pondering. Are we really friends? I know deep down in my heart, I have feelings too. Of love, of passion… just after concluding a few answers, I understood. I may be a stubborn type, but I'm honest to myself. I refused to believe it at first.'

Lily tried to swallow the lump, which had kept her from talking. James was looking earnestly at her, wanting to know her answer.

'I- I-' the words were stuck. It just won't come. Lily tried again.

'I- I- I- I-' it was stuck again! Lily mentally cursed herself as she put everything into her final try.

'I love you.' _It came out. Finally. Why, only after a long struggle, did it come out? Stupid, stupid, stupid! Stupid voicebox, stupid lump-in-throat, stupid me!_

James looked as if he could kiss her right there and then, which is what he did. His faced glowed brightly and he hugged her tight to him before kissing her. His tongue slipped in gently into hers and they played a little together.

_The kiss was sweet. As sweet as sugar. No, it was way sweeter than that. Too sweet that words failed to describe, Lily said mentally to herself before giving in completely to the kiss._

So they may be rivals, they may not for the past seven years, but both knew that they had found love in the rivalry, which probably crowned all. 

*****

AN: o_o;;; okay, it was supposed to be two stories at first, but I thought I'd just push everything together and finish it up early! Yes, some parts were just pointless parts to fill in the space, so that answer your question? Um, I guess. I have a little grudge with titles and always can't seem to get a good one… review this please!


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